The Witches

• What are the Three Witches also known as?

  The Weird Sisters
• What does the word "weird" mean in Old English?

  Fate
• How does Shakespeare depict the Witches to link them with evil?

  By giving them beards
• What ability do the Witches possess regarding the future?

  They can see the future
• What motivates the Witches' actions?

  They act out of malice
• How do the Witches' lines differ from other characters' lines?

  They speak in short rhyming lines
• What effect do the Witches' lines have on their portrayal?

  They make them sound gruesome and evil
• What is Banquo's uncertainty about the Witches?

  Whether they are real or imaginary
• What does Banquo suspect about the Witches' appearance?

  That it is misleading
• What are the characteristics attributed to the Witches?

  • Evil: "instruments of darkness"
  • Ambiguous: "This supernatural soliciting/Cannot be ill, cannot be good."
  • Strange: "So withered and so wild"
• What theme does the Witches' line "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" illustrate?

  The theme of Reality and Appearance
• What does the phrase "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" suggest about the play?

  That nothing is as it seems
• What atmospheric elements accompany the Witches in Macbeth?

  Thunder and lightning
• How do the Witches take advantage of Macbeth's ambition?

  They make prophecies without explaining them
• What is the significance of the Witches not telling Macbeth to murder Duncan?

  It creates a self-fulfilling prophecy
• What paradox do the Witches use to confuse Macbeth about Banquo?

  Banquo will be "Lesser than Macbeth, but greater"
• Who is Hecate in relation to the Witches?

  She is the goddess of witchcraft
• How does Hecate punish Macbeth through the apparitions?

  By giving him false predictions
• What is one of the false predictions made to Macbeth?

  "None of woman born/Shall harm Macbeth"
• What is the theme of Fate and Free Will in Macbeth regarding the Witches' prophecies?

  • Uncertainty of the Witches as fate's messengers
  • Ambiguity of Macbeth's ability to change his future